At The Intersection of Gauche and Obtuse
by Sushi4Brains
Summary: Determined to understand the power of bonds between people, Sai turns first to the library's shelves. Discouraged by what he finds, he then seeks assistance from his two team captains. Surely, with their advice and a little practice, he will become a master of the ins and outs of proper social intercourse. Right? Kakashi/Yamato/Sai


Determined to better understand the complexities of bonds with others, Sai turns to the shelves of the library. The information, though plentiful is at times contradictory and confusing, leaving him with far more questions than answers. Naturally, he turns to his team captains for guidance, confident that they will help him cobble together a rock solid plan, one that will allow him to slide into a comfortable working relationship with his team. With their help and a little practice, he'd surely master the ins and outs of proper social intercourse. Right?

Very loosely based on Shippuden episodes 34, 55-57 and 72-74. As a concession to my conscience, well basically, to keep myself from feeling like a total perv while spinning this tale, Sai and Naruto's ages have been adjusted upward.

One final note: I was going through a major writer's block, and this idea popped into my head late one night. So, here goes nothing.

* * *

><p>The first time Kakashi heard anything about the kid from the Foundation, he was confined to a hospital bed and juiced up with painkillers. The Hokage's debriefing made three things abundantly clear, most important of which was that she had no choice but to add this young shinobi to his team. Thankfully, his appointment as a member of Team Kakashi was temporary and finally, two of the fiercest enemies of the Leaf Village, the Akatsuki and the Snake Sannin Orochimaru, were on the move; their intentions toward Konoha, unknown.<p>

Team Kakashi was set to deploy within the hour with Yamato as their interim captain. Their mission, to rendezvous with a spy linked to a member of the Akatsuki and currently working alongside Orochimaru; their primary objective was to capture the spy and bring him alive to Konoha for interrogation. If successful, the information would be instrumental in defending the village or at the very least, locating and retrieving Uchiha Sasuke.

Or they could be walking into a trap.

While he was confident in Yamato's ability to lead and protect the team, Kakashi was divided in his feelings toward this new addition. As an ANBU member, he'd follow whatever orders his captain gave without question, he'd also have no qualms about killing an enemy in the most brutal manner possible should the situation call for it. But as a product of Root's dehumanizing training regimen, he'd also have no qualms about leaving a comrade behind to die if it meant the overall success of the mission.

KYSKYSKYSKYS

The first time he met this kid from the Foundation face to face, he was still in the hospital, but this time around, his mind was firing on all cylinders. And though he exchanged less than twenty words with this young man, there was absolutely nothing remarkable about him. He looked to be about eighteen years old, pale as unadorned rice paper with jet black hair, and eyes that revealed nothing. However, there was such an awkwardness that seemed to engulf him, a sadness that was tangible and painful. On the bright side, even though Team Kakashi's mission was a colossal failure, they'd all come back alive.

But according to Yamato's debriefing, Sai had another mission . . . to kill Uchiha Sasuke.

That mission was a failure as well, but not because Yamato stepped in to prevent it; seems the number one hyperactive knuckle head ninja was responsible that all by himself. Naruto always did have a way of challenging other people's perceptions of him and ultimately of themselves, and Sai the automaton obviously wasn't immune to that aspect of Naruto's character. Seeing his willingness to lay down his own life that Sasuke's might be spared the horror of becoming a vessel to carry out the will of Orochimaru, despite having turned his back on the village and his teammates, Sai couldn't bring himself to end a life that meant so much to Naruto.

They'd come back as a team, Naruto and Sakura that is, to bemoan their lot and to wonder aloud as to why they'd been forced to work with someone like Sai. Initially, Naruto couldn't stand him, that wasn't much of a surprise.

"He's a stuck up bastard," Naruto told him repeatedly. "Sickly looking moron thinks he's better than everybody else."

The one redeeming factor in his favor according to Naruto was Sai's ability to draw and paint and then via a jutsu, he could bring those scribbled artworks to life. "I guess he serves a purpose," he said glumly when he flopped down on the foot end of Kakashi's hospital bed. "It's kinda cool how he can make snakes to use as ropes, or draw a lot of mice and make them do reconnaissance." Folding his arms across his chest and looking Kakashi in the eye he added, "But I swear, that's all he's got going for him."

Sakura wasn't a fan of Sai's cold and aloof demeanor, nor of his blunt and often misogynistic observations; she could live without his foul mouthed manner of speaking as well. But at least she was willing to give him a chance to become acclimated to the team's dynamic. The slight blush creeping up her cheeks, the way she lowered her head at the mention of Sai's name told Kakashi that her decision was somewhat skewed. He had a sinking feeling that Sakura saw Sai as a readily available punching bag, but more than that, he represented someone she could mold into the image of a 'perfect' Sasuke, one who never desert her, one who would never wound her as deeply as the original had done.

Then again, Kakashi knew his assessment of the situation could have been off the mark as well. Having never spent time with Sai, naturally there wasn't a chance to come to his own conclusions. And in the end, he had to trust that the three junior members of his team would figure out a way to function as a cohesive unit.

Somewhere in the middle of their loud complaints, a story was whispered and Kakashi watched in silence as their hearts softened. Somewhere in the middle of their mission came an awakening for the emotionally lifeless Sai. According to Naruto, Sai didn't have an attachment to anything or anyone, except for a small, hand drawn picture book.

"Said it belonged to his brother," Naruto said. "I thought I had a messed up childhood, but his was worse. He and his brother were members of the Foundation, they were a few months apart in age, or I think that's what he said. Anyway, they trained together, did missions together all their lives but when it came time for them to graduate, they were led out into a forest and told that only one of them would be promoted after a fight to the death. That's messed up, isn't it Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi nodded, raising his book a bit higher to conceal an involuntary sneer. Yes, it was a despicable way to test the commitment of Konoha's youth, to see how far they would go to carry out a directive – but that was the way of the Foundation. The sacrifice of countless young lives was how they culled the strong from the weak, how they weeded out the ones who dared feel anything.

"After they sparred for a while, he said his brother forfeited the fight, Kakashi-sensei because -"

"Oh my god!" Sakura gasped. "He killed his own brother?"

Naruto's chin dipped to his chest, "Not exactly," he said quietly. "Sai told me his brother was real sick and would have died in less than a week anyway. He wanted to die by his brother's hand so that Sai might have a chance to live. "

The sudden, weighty silence sucked all the air out of the room; it ripped the empty platitudes of sympathy from their minds.

"This picture book," Naruto finally said, "the one he always carries around wasn't finished – and hadn't been for years until he told me that story. Said he blocked out the memories of that day and that's why he couldn't finish it, because he couldn't remember the picture he wanted to draw. He finally remembered and right there on the spot he drew a picture of two smiling boys holding hands because they'd defeated all their enemies. Yeah, I know, it was crappy ending for a book of pictures, but Sai is weird like that."

Yamato already told him that something happened between Sai and Naruto during their last mission, and he'd seen a change in the emotionally lifeless young man with his own eyes. Since then, Sai began thinking for himself, trying his best to form friendships as quickly as he could and very eager to practice what he learned from books, with mixed results. Lastly, his status as a temporary member of Team Kakashi had been changed to one of permanence . . . at Sai's request.

KYSKYSKYSKYS

The next time Kakashi saw the kid from the Foundation was after his release from the hospital, at the northern training grounds as Naruto struggled to develop a unique and hopefully indefensible ninjutsu.

Sai made it a habit to show up every day, never tried to mask his chakra as he considered those assembled his comrades; he'd pass the time sitting quietly under the shade of an elm tree, and when he wasn't reading a book, he'd intently watch or sketch Naruto as he trained. With each passing day, Sai crossed the invisible line he'd drawn for himself, inching closer, but never breaching the perimeter surrounding Kakashi, Yamato and Naruto. Never a word was spoken either in greeting or as he prepared to depart for the day. Kakashi never let on that he'd seen him, and never turned to question his presence at the training grounds.

In a strange way, Kakashi could relate to the awkward youth. Having narrowly escaped the Foundation's indoctrination himself, Kakashi had done a bang up job of shutting himself away from the world after the death of his father. He lived for upholding the rules, and the successful completion of a mission; he yearned to spill an enemy's blood with the razor sharp edge of his katana, to feel their life force splatter against his mask and soak into his clothing. He was slowly turning into a monster and he didn't give a damn. His comrades feared his increasing mental instability; some whispered behind his back that he had a death wish; perhaps that was true. Others called him 'Cold-blooded Kakashi' to his face; it was a nickname he wore like a badge of honor.

Years of living that kind of life was tearing him up inside, though he didn't realize it, couldn't see the symptoms of his slow and steady demise. It wasn't until someone had the balls to snatch him away from the darkness that he really learned the meaning of life. The only difference between the person he was and the person Sai is at present is that Kakashi had emotions to begin with; it must have been easier for Sai, to suffocate something that never had a chance to live in the first place.

Every day, Kakashi could sense that Sai was attempting to pull himself out of the darkness; this time Kakashi would be standing at the mouth of the pit to congratulate him. Like a butterfly trying to emerge from its chrysalis, the effort to break free is what makes its wings strong. Were he to interfere in Sai's metamorphosis, that tiny spark of life would be forever extinguished.

He was willing to wait him out.

Less than a week after Naruto's training began, Team Kakashi was called away on another mission. Graves near the Fire Temple were being robbed, corpses stolen, the purpose of this desecration, unknown. Kakashi too had a separate mission, a rendezvous with the Toad Sannin, Jiraya to determine if the Akatsuki were involved, and if they were, to determine how close they were to the Leaf Village.

It would be another month before all the members of Team Kakashi stood on the training fields of home once again.


End file.
